The Georgia pioneer, and retrenchment banner. (Cassville, Ga.) 1835-184?, March 24, 1838, Image 2

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Suing and ■ > must keeping among them until they g >t into tl.e water, tin flanks being unable !o surround, or the centre to overtake them. Gen. Jackson not a little vexed at finding the game dri ven out of, instead of being drawn into his net, called Russell to him, and in ra ther an angry tone inquired whether he did not remember his orders, to engage ; with the Indians, and then tall back,so ns to draw them into the line? “Yes, Gen., (replied the old man,) I believe ! you did; hut plague take their yellow skins, 1 never ran from one of them yet; J could not do it General.” It is use less to t- Il the reader, (hat Gen. Jack son was sati-tied a ilh such an excuse trom this old veteran. After the Indians were subdued, the Gen. discharged his militia and volun teer forces* and the old patriot Russell and his associates returned to Russell’s Valley, aud although they had tire i down and left behind every horse but live, out of sixty carried from home, yet not a murmur was heard; audio prove beyond question, the depth ot their love of country, before summer was out, a body ofCreek Indian.', ma king their way to the west, defeated a party of whites below Tuscaloosa; up on the hearing of which, within twelve boms’ time Russell had a company mounted and in pursuit: the Indians, however, made their escape. Such have been the virtue^ and ser vices of the Russells and their* neigh Lors, and such is the feelings and worth of hundreds of patriots i*' all the new States, who do not happen to be rich enough to own land. Reader, can vou w'onder that members trom those States, knowing these people, should be anxious t) save them harmless trom the avarice of those who may happen to have a little more money, and who covet their places, made valuable only by their own labor? Ah! but yon are ready to say, “there is no danger, ’ “no man would bid against an upright set tier, for his li I tie impiuveinent made in the wilderness.” Don't mistake so far, the nature ofavarbe; although the inhabitants of Russell’s Valley had made the first corn, and made the sac rifices which I have enumerated, they had scarcely time to reciuil themselves Iron their last march, ere they were sum notied by the President’s Procla mation, “to attend the sale of their lands at” “Huntsville.” Yes, these patriots were brought into competition with holders of Y-z >o stock, and the very men who J had seen rushing into battle, undismayed by the war whoop of the savage, or the crack of his dead ly rifle, were now seen to tremble and Bweat at every pore, when about com jng in contact with Yhtzoo scrip, or the reams ofuncut bank notes which bad been m<de and issued to buy public lands with. Nearly ail the settlers were driven from their homes, by the very people their valor had protected; iind even the veteran Russell, who “had r ever in his life run from a yellow skin,” was humbled and made to quail before a sordid wretch with a white one;.a man who had never wet his feet in his country’s service. The old man’s land, (improvement rather,) was bid up on him to near thirty dollars per acre, and being unable to pay the money, he was compelled to forfeit his bid, and the next day he was publicly attempted to be disgraced by tiie Uni ted States officers, who ordered a proc lamation to be made of his defalcation, nnd he was notallowed to bid again at the sale. He was not disgraced, how ever: Alabama, looking upon him as one of her patriot fathers, has perpet uated hi ’ memory, by calling one of her counties “Russell,” in grateful recol-j lect'on of his services. Here me let me ask the American people, whether they live in town or country , whether in stately dwelling or bumble cabin, Was it humane, jud and right, to drive these patriots from their improvement*, with Yazoo script and bank note-? The Bank biokp, and the Government never got pay for the land ; and would it net have been tar better io have given them their homes rd Congress price? I ask, also, those members of Congress, who speak so < ontemptu <uriy of squatters, denounc ing them as plundered, whether they would not have hated the man '‘•ho bid old Maj, Russell's land upon him? Why-, let me ask, are those who are now settled on public lands denounced ? Hundreds, nay, thousands of them in the diff rent States, are as good as the Ku ssclls ami their neighbors. IJoyou never expect to want their services again, that you must not only refuse to bell them their improvements, at Con gress price, but you most also insult them by opprobious words? If you are too niggardly to give those who tight your bathes theii small tracts, at Congress price,wti.it makes your hearts to open and generous, that you can give to Stales and rich companies, thou taods, nay, hundreds of thousands ol Udes of youi best lands, without get- ting any piice whalevci ? A State wants (o build a Capitol, dig a canal, make a Rail Road, and you give by millions. A company wants to make a canal,a city to pay its debts, and you give by thousands and hundreds of thousands; but let a poor frontier man want his improvement, and < tiers to pay your fixed price, he cannot get it. Why? You know you cannot get much more, yet you not only refuse him but you abuse him in such language, that a stranger to him would behove, instead of being one of the men who had fought, and would again fight your battles, that the frontier men had done nothing but plundered or stolen your property. In fact, yoUr language to wards the savage, who has way laid our paths, and slain our men, burned our dwellings, and massacred our families, is kind, compared with that used to wards our poor squatter, whom I have shown to be the country’s best friend, “in the day and hour <»f danger.” A A BACKWOODSMAN. I NATIONAL DEFENCE. The Journal of Commerce has the following judicious remarks on the new bill repork d by the Military Commit tee, and which has passed the Senat» : -‘The effect of tl.e new bill would therefore be to increase the army to between 14.000 and 15,000 men; a force very small indeed, when it i.'con sidered that we have an inland frontier of 3.000 or 4,000 miles, and a sea coast of 2,000 or 3.000 more. For ourselves we should like to see a still larger in crease of the regular force. Twenty thousand men is, in our opinion, as small an army as can possibly answer our necessities; and, taking a series of years togeher,we have not a doubt that such a force would be less expensive to ihe country, than the penny wise sys tem hitherto in operation. Had our army,at the breaking out of the Flori da war, comprised 50 030 men, or even 10.000, that war would never have taken place, TLas many millions of dollars would have been saved to the country, many valuable lives spared and a brave tribe of Indians preserved trom almost total i xiiucfhm. Heoiust bear in mind, that the many thousand Creek,Chickasa,Chero kee, Seminole, and other Indians, who have been or will be removed to the far West, will cherish there a lurking spirilof hostilities against the people who have n.Jared them, which ever and anon may break out into open war fare. A general war waged by the Indians who will soon be concentrated on our Western frontier, would be al most as formidable as a w ar with Great Britain; and it is an occurrence not unlikely to happen. Fu’thcrmore, should we at any time get into a war with Great Britain, we may pretty safely calculate that we shall have to light these Indians into the bargain. Even a brush with Mexico would ex. pose us to an Indian war. There is not, at Ibis moment, a single portion of our vast frontici, whether inland or maritime, that does not require atten tion. On the South we have the SeminoleS to contend with; on the Southwest is Mexico, with which we have unsettled relations; on the West, there is Guides of Wild Indians; on the Noi th, there is the Canada insurrection and its consequences; on the North east, the disputed boundary; and in proportion as any or all of things expose us to a war with Great Britain in (he same propotion >will our whole sea coast be liable to invasion. We arc free to say that at present we have little fear of a war with Great Britain, because we are eei tain that both Governments arc honestly desirous of avoiding such a cal <mily, and be cause also we confide in the good sense of our people to put down the spirit of semi-hostility which has sprung up on the frontier, in connection with the at tempted revolution in Canada. Never theless, the suddenness -vith which we have been brought to contemplate such an event as more than possible, must convince us of the utter folly and mad <ice= of leaving ourselves without pro tection against such contingencies. We ought at .east to have spare foreign -hips of war in the principal ports of the Union; which is more than wc bad whin a French Government ship arrived here soon after (he adjustment of our ‘We difficulty with (bat country; we ought also to be able td spare a' few men for exposed points, sue!: 3® the frontier of Maine has been for the last two years, and as other portions of our northern frontier now arc; and finally we ought to have a force able to co operate with the navy many enterprise which might result from a war with Mexico, or any other powerr The Navy itself requires looking as-. ter. We have not, wf late, kept pact in this department of service, with the vast improvements which have take - place in the navies of England, France and Russia. Far from it. While they have been building steam-ships of groat power and speed, and adopting every other impovement which inven tion could suggest or money procure, we have been resting on our oars,satisfi ed with past achieve merits,&.preparing for a tremendous drubbii g, whenever it dfia.ll fall to our lot Io get into a war with any one of the gieat naval pow ers. Wc speak this 'in sonow,and not in anger. The Navy is our pride and glory. It has accomplished won ders, — and can do it again, if only we are not caught napping. Ilisftecanse we love the Navy, that we are deter* mined not to cLse our eyes, nor lei our fellow citizens close theiis, upon the inefficiency and stupidity which are exposing it to disaster. Oui misera ble steamboat,unworthy ot our gallant Navy, or of any oihc’r. is all that we have .to boast of, when pointe d to the numerous, < fficient, & powerful steam-j vessels' which have sprung up like magic in connection with the navies of Europe. Le» us understand, that the most annoying pait of naval war- ; fare is hereafter to be conducted by steam. Stcrtm vessels will sweep off merchantmen, as a matter of course, wherever they are to be found, they will visit shoal waters, harbors, creeks &,c. putting villig* s under contribution or perhaps burning tin m; and in naval engagements of a higher order, when sail vessels are motionless for w nt of wind,steamboats wil' be here and- there 1 and every where. LortrNivy Depart ment dreaming? are. Congress dream ing? or do they intend, whenever a war shall come upon us, to see the country, for want of preparation,sub j cted to another series of reverses like (flat which ma-kec' the comm•Uccment of the war o-i 18 i 2? j In connection with the subject, we invite the attention of our readers to a report of the Secretary of War, sub mitted to the S mate on th* 10 ) ir st.; in compliance with a resolution of that . body of 14 i) October last, requesting him to propose “a plan for the defence of the north and eastern of 'the United States.” Gen. Scott, in a paper appended to the report, but ' which we cannot fi d room for at pres ent, expresses hisopimo i [this is under date of Nov. 19, 1536, before the ex plosion In Canada] that ‘five regiments of artillery and three of infantry is the minintum force required'for ihe protec tion of the northern ai d eastern fron tiers of the United States against sud i den, hut at all times very possible, in suitsand aggressions on the part oftm expected enemies, and to preserve the permanent posts from the gradual waste of time." Five regiments ot artillery an one more than the pres ent United States Army co sistsof. UPPER CANADA,—MATTERS IN GENERAL. The correspondence between Colo nel, the Hou. A.N. Mac Nab, and Major General Scott, ol the United States Army, together with the Deposi (ion of Seth Conklin, a native of the United States, in relation to ihe man ner in which the American authoii-, ties have ol served the neutrality of j their government upon the Niagara frontier, is published and contains some matters of interest. The following is the letter of Gener el Scott: “To the Commanding Officer of the armed British vessels in the Niagara. Head Quarters, United States Army, Eastern Division. J wo miles below Black Rock January 15’h, 1838. Sir —With bis Excellency the Gov ernor of New York, who has troops at hand, we are here to enforce the neu trality of the United States, and to pro tect our own soil and waters from vio lation. The proper civil officers are also present to arrest, if practicable, the leaders of the expedition on loot against Upper Canada. Under these cir< umstanCesft gitesme pain to see the armed vessels mention ed above anchored in our waters', with ( the probable intention to fire upon that | expedition moving within the same wa tors. Unless that we shall interfere, we shall be obliged to consider a dis charge of shot or shells from or into ouf waters, from the armed schooners of her Majesty, as an act seriously com promiltiiig the neutrality of the two nations. I hope therefore that no such unpleasant incident may occur. —1 re main, Sir, respectfully, Your most obe dient, . . WINFIELD SCO PT.” . To which lieutenant Drew replied, that the object he had in view was to prevent the rebels who had lately been in arms against her Britanic M ajesty i upon Navy Island from effecting a ‘andingin any part of the province of Upper Canada; and for this purpose tie had made such a disposition of the force under his command as would j most effectually pei form that service: i He had always understood, that so ong as Great Britain and the United [ I Slates were at peace and atf.ity, the right of the full navigation of the river Niagara belonged Io each power. Subsequently m relation (o this-cor respondence, Colonel McNab Wiote an ai gry and almost abusive letter to General Scott, protesting against his interference, blaming the American authorities, and saying in his opinion, they had a right tos’op the Barcelona, any whereon the liver, and that“hau it not been for an unfortunate misap plication of the order giten by Captain Drew to the officers in command of the s<hooners, that light would assuredly have been ex rcised.” In confusion he alludes to the “out ; rage” of firing upon lieutenant Elm sley’sboat from Grand Island. To this General Scott refused t' make a written reply. His verbal answer, as reported by the bearer D Bethune, was as follows; “Alter General Scott had perused the despatch, he desired me to inform Colonel Mat Nab at a convenient time he would answer bis despatch in wilt ing—that at present be could only do so verbally. General Scott then re marked, that it was deswousof draw ing him into a correspondence, foi which he had no leasure at present, ashistime was wholly occupied in en dravonng to preserve the netitrality ot the United Slates duiing the existing disturbances on our Irontiei ; that Col. M i* N-ib might have leasure lor main taining such correspoudence, but be (G ii. Scot 1) iad not; —and that he had been so employed in maintaining (he neutrality of the United States, two c-fliers of the British Army then in the house Hotel) could testify. 1 b<*g leave to remark, that General Scott appeared very much agitated on perusing your despatch, and while he made the above verba! communica tion.” From the A'at. Intelligencer. Extract fiom a letter dated Detroit, \3th in s t: “The trouble has been, and is along the frontier—when I say is, I mean that, notwithstanding the prospect of a ter mination which the evacuation of Na vy Lland and the appearance of 150 United States troops at our wharf, via the Lakes, on the 24th ult would lead us to expect —the embers are re-kirr dhng. ■ i “Van Rensselaer is, or has been, in this city within a day or two, and his men it is said, are at Gibraltar, oppo site Maiden. Dr. Duncombe is here at present; he says tnat in his flight be had to remain six weeks in a cellar. A strong force has been draughted with in a l\ w days, but, on a more minute Gen. Brady disbanded the whole to-day. When they went to risk an explanation, he told them he could not trust them with the arms! Alter throwing out several threats,they gave three groans and departed." There were two men drowned in cross ing the river last night. “I amjust informed that three wa gon loads of volunteers have arrived at a tavern in this city called Head Quar ters ; and, also, (hat 12 b xes of arms, stolenJrom the rail road ojjice (intended for the militia) night btiore last,and 200 stands stolen last night from on board the Robert Fulton steamboat, nave been this morning discovered at the volunteer head quarters; they were escorted away by a sirougguard. The river is firmly closed.” From the Col. (Ohio) Slcde.Smaii, Feb 25. REPORTED SUCCESS OF THE PA TRIO 7 S -MALDEJV TA EE.\ ! ! There is a failure in the Huron Mail; but a gentleman of the highest respect ability, who came in the Stage from the lake, says, it was reported and gen erally believed when he left, that the Patriots bad taken malden—killed ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE ROY ALISTS, with a loss ol only seventeen Pat riots ! As all reports, though from various points, agree as to time, and the time as to former arrangements, we are strongly inclined to believe the decis ive stroke has been struck. The mails of to morrow evening must put all doubts to rest.” The last Albany Daily Advertiser adds the following: “Important Rumor.—We learn that the patriots have finally made a move ment. A large supply of arms and ammunition left Syracuse on Saturday Evening for the lake shnre, whence a descent was to be made on Kingston yesterday. The result will be proba bly known in this city on Sunday eve ning next. “Meanwhile operations seem by no means suspended at the West. The Lewrsto,Vn Telegraph ♦ xtra of the 20 h says: ‘Yesterday the government de spatches from Sandwich reached the commanding officers on the Canada frontier at Niagara, and last night and to day the whole effective forces of the Roy alists started in sleighs far the London District bUR R HL ROADS. Wc copy from the Savannah Gcor* giana statement; showing Ihe piogref? and Condition of the Central Rail Road which is highly gratifying. We understand that a Locomotive •nd cars are running for some 20 mil *, from Savannah; that on 56 miles tins: grading is completed and ready loi li.e, raii«; that the road is un<[er contract to a point 69 miles from Savannah: aud that 13 1-2 miles further will be let uu (lie ssh ot .April. So that the road uh.B tair to be completed in two or three ■ years. The fdonroe Rail Road is also rapid* ly progressing. We have just been along the line, and tan state from our own knowledge, the Condition of the work. The amount of labor expended • is prodigious. A person who haci nev er seen any thing of the sort, could hardly be made to believe what deep . xeavations and high embankments nave been made. The grading of the road is now near ly completed, and a considerable por* lion of the timber has been delivered.- Mort over the iron is on the way, and it is expected Will be delivered in Macon luring the present season. So that long before Christmas, we expect to see.cars running the whole distance be tween Macon and Forsyth. This road is to form the connecting link between the Central Rail Road at one end, and the Atlantic and Tennea -ce Rail Road at the other; and will ae of vast impoitance to the prosperity of all Central Georgia.— Macon Tel. The venerable Col. Samuel Green, who, for the last fifty years, was the’ editor, printer and publisher of the New ijondon G;:z tte, has retired from ihe field, and disposed of his rneht to Mr John Day Hyde. The--’ New York Commercial, in noticing his withdrawal states the following fact: “Colonel Green,succeeded his lath er in the Conduct of the Gazette, and was descended from one of the earliest printers in Boston,of thebaine. 'lhe family iias been remarkable for its longevity,and for its continuance in the same employ. It is nearly a cen tury, we beliete, since the sons of ihe elder Green who was a printer in Bos ton, marched off. One of them went to Connecticut, and another to and establish ed a paper at Annapolis, where it wa« continued between seventy and eighty years, by father and son. Jonas G:6en was the last of the font at Annapolis. IVe recollect his paper well; but whe ther he be yet living,or whether any of the family remain there at this dafy, we have not lear »ed. We regret that Col. Green of New London has relin quished the paper—still more, that no son of bis succeeds. We had hoped that though old, the Gazette would continue Green forever.” We are glad to have it in otjr power to say that the- Gazette, at Annapolis is still Green. We have now before us the third number of the ninety third volume “printed and published by Jonas Green, in the brick building on the public Circle.” May it long main tain its vividity.— Ball, Chronicle, LaUncb.—-The new steamboat con structed at the ship yard ©f Messrs. Watts, Corwin & Dorsett, for the Sa vannah and Augusta Steamboat Com- P an y, glided into her destined element yesterday morning at the hour designa ted. She was christened “The Ham burg,” after the flourishing little town of that name, founded by the enterpri sing Shultz, of our elder sister South Carolina,’ She now floats with the stars and stripes at her bow, and will soon be a gallant, though young com petitor, in towing the rich products of the two states to iiieir destined markets to return with the fruits of foreign or northern industry. She is the first ves sel, we presume, which has sprung into life from the new shipyard east of the city. May her successful career in duce the enterprise of our numerous companies to be still further developed and her future existence be as bright as the atmosphere of yesterday in which floated the gay flags welcoming her first appearance in the mingled waters of the Savannah.-^Savannah Georgian. Distressing accounts from A trader who arrived in town yesterday direct from Canada,informs tis that 800 of her majesty’s troops, which had been, ordered from Halifax to en countered very severe fare on their route. They were seven days without a house for shelter, travelling on snow shoes. Forty-one of the number died from exposure, and many others were much frozen.— Portsmouth Jour. Jonathan's description of a steamboat.— It’s got a’saw mill on one side, and a grist mill on t’other, and a blacksmith shop iii the middle; and down cellar there’s a tarnation great pot boilin.